Friday, September 14, 2007
Fox News to provide convention pool coverage
WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
There’s a mini-controversy about the announcement that Fox News will provide the pool coverage for the Democratic Convention. First, the news:
TVNewser has learned Fox News will be the pool for the Democratic National Convention in Denver beginning August 25, 2008. And NBC News will be the pool for the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis the following Monday, September 1.
The pool provides camera shots inside the convention halls and can be used by any cooperating (read: paying) entity. A network insider tells TVNewser it’s really as simple as drawing straws about which network will be the pool for a certain event. Since NBC and FNC will be pool for the conventions, the other networks will likely be the pool for other events, including next fall’s debates.
Now the controversy. From OpenLeft:
Fox News is not a legitimate news outlet, but a partisan outlet pushing out GOP propaganda. Why in the world would this channel be allowed to control the camera shots inside the hall?
While I agree that Fox News is very partisan, the post at OpenLeft shows little knowledge of how a pool works at a convention. The pool is there to provide standard shots – especially shots of the podium. There is no need, and actually no room on the camera stands, for each network to provide their own camera to give the same unmoving shot of the speaker. More importantly, each network provides its own cameras for its own shots, and each network does its own production, choosing when to use its own shots, and when to use the pool shots. Also, the pool does not provide any graphics, commentary, or anything close to any editorial discretion. There’s really no way that Fox providing the pool coverage could affect how the convention is covered.
Posted by Matt at 10:06 PM 
Shouldn’t this be a good opportunity to force the FCC to define “News Organization” and what , at the very least, minimum requirements an orgaqnization must meet to be able to call itself a “News” organization, and therefore be able to even draw a straw in this process? I would argue that NONE of the four major networks qualifies as a “News Organization” anymore! And no matter what you say about FOX NOISE not being able to affect the convention coverage as the pool camera, their very precense inside the building is an insult to the Democratic Party!
RIGHT NOW THE WORD THAT COME TO MIND IS ASININE. I’M SURE THERE ARE SEVERAL MORE FOR LETTING FOX NEWS COVER THE DNC!
In this case, yet once again…
Democratic Leadership=Charlie Brown
Fox News=Lucy with a football
There is no way this can be allowed.
Can you just imagine how much plotting the RNC and Fox are doing right now to corrupt this usually innocent role of pool provider.
They will certainly find a way to use this to republican advantage.
Besides, do the Dems really want to legitimize Fox news again? They were doing so well at ignoring them recently, but now this?
This is the convention that will see the first woman or black as nominee!!! Of all broadcasters Fox least deserves the privilege of playing such an important role at this historic moment.
Get ready for lots of shots of delegates sleeping and picking their noses.
I found last night’s coverage of the floor by FOX to be outrageous! Everybody was African-American and most looked bored. I couldn’t believe how obviously SLANTED the camera work seemed to be. DNC officials are FOOLS! I think they’re wasting our donations for letting this event to be abused that way. What a WASTE OF OUR MONEY to have it be covered that way. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT PLEASE!!!!!
FOXNEWS gave very slanted views last night.
This is totally outrageous. I hope everybody in the progressive blogging community is getting this story out. Their pool coverage is heinous!
What can be done about this? I’m hearing that even C-SPAN is using their pool coverage.
It seemed somebody made a concerted effort to show every bored and distracted white person they could find during Michelle Obama’s speech last night. I found the speech touching and poignant– and from everything I’ve heard there were people overcome with emotion during her speech–but from what we saw on the air–you’d never know it.
And FOX had nothing to do with that?
There’s no way to tell if that’s the pool unless you compare the feeds of two different networks. If the same shots show up – its the pool.
Seems that FOX didn’t have a feed for the Republican congressman who spoke sometime after Nancy Pelosi last night. No TV network had it on. Some folks with multiple computers, watching the convention on internet feeds were able to see it. Think FOX “forgot”, or were “unable” to show his speech? Oh please! This is disgusting.
If someone saw it on the internet, then it was pool coverage. The Pool provides a constant shot of the podium. The pool shows every speaker, from the opening to the close. When Leach was speaking, I saw his picture on the screens in the arena. Which means the pool covered it.
Seeing Karl ‘I should be in prison’ Rove at the DNC along with Fox news at the DNC makes me sick to my stomach. I would have NEVER assumed that this would be allowed. Somewhere, there is a person who decided that this was an OK idea. That person needs to be fired, now! This is an outrage!